Chapter 95

"…During the Demon War. Did the village where you lived have a vigilante group?"

"Yes."

"Did they protect the village?"

"Yes. Protecting the village is what a vigilante group is supposed to do."

"My hometown didn't have one."

This was a denial filled with not just firmness but also resentment.

"During the sixth year of the Demon War, we heard that demons were advancing towards the village where I lived. Fortunately, they had been weakened after a previous defeat, so we decided to form a defense line centered around the vigilante group. We even gathered external mercenaries to prepare quite thoroughly."

This was common during the Demon War.

"But when the demons actually advanced on the village at dawn, there were no vigilantes left to protect it. They had all fled, taking even the weapons, which were the only means of resistance."

"…."

"The village naturally turned into a sea of flames. In the chaos of fleeing, I lost my younger brother's hand… When I found him again, he was buried under a collapsed roof."

In my mind, I saw the blackened, collapsed roof and the ship sinking beneath the sea, enveloped in black smoke, simultaneously.

"At first, I resented the vigilante group that betrayed the village. But later, I began to think that this resentment might not be justified. After all, the root cause of all the trouble was not the villagers who trusted the vigilante group, nor the vigilantes who betrayed them, but Mephisto."

"If that's the case, then what you want is revenge, right?"

"Yes. I want to kill Mephisto and avenge my dead brother and the burned village. Even though it was Andert Fager who killed Mephisto. If there is a next time…."

I will kill him.

Swallowing the words that stuck in my throat, I sighed.

'You're so similar to me, it's scary.'

Surely the dead brother couldn't be a younger brother.

Jin has a story.

And that story makes a knight stronger and serves as a stepping stone to overcome the wall.

'But it also makes it easier to lose control.'

Indeed, Jin needs something to protect.

"Senior, it seems the examination has started."

With those words, I decided to shake off my thoughts. There would be plenty of time to worry about it later.

As expected, the first stage of the Roque entrance examination was a duel.

According to the rules, the examinees had to use the cheap weapons provided by Roque to face the examiners.

The examiners were strong.

Three believers took turns facing the candidates, and one of them seemed to be a knight who had crossed the second wall.

'Is it Yete, or In? Then my opponent will be that man.'

Thanks to the number of candidates, there was ample time to observe the examiners.

First characteristic: right-handed, but uses both hands.

Second characteristic: prefers to overpower with strength.

Third characteristic: has a circular bald spot.

And just before I could identify the fourth characteristic, the entrance examination ended.

'What? Are you kidding? I haven't even started yet?'

Just as I was about to stand up to protest, the examiner who was giving final instructions crossed the empty field and approached me.

"Daisy Fager. I will now conduct your examination. Please follow me."

"Not here?"

"It will be conducted in the royal castle. Please follow me."

Why did they bring me to the examination site in the first place?

We followed the examiner back to the royal castle.

When we arrived at the courtyard, Baron Sereinye and King Astrosa were waiting for us.

And Baron Dscherro…

"Be gentle."

He came to me with a clearly interested expression and gave me that advice.

What is he talking about?

"I'm not the one conducting the examination, I'm the one receiving it."

"I'm just worried. You always tend to be petty when you make that face."

"What's wrong with my face?"

"It's sour."

…Hmm.

I stood in front of the examiner, managing my expression. I turned my head slightly and asked the examiner,

"Question. Why am I being examined separately?"

"It's an internal matter. I cannot tell you."

You can't tell me, huh? It's definitely Lu's doing.

Well, there's nothing bad about a private examination.

"I will now begin the Yete qualification examination for Daisy Fager."

I picked up a cheap sword from the scattered weapons.

It was unnecessarily heavy and soft.

While I was getting used to it by swinging it a few times, the examiner said,

"I assume you observed how I wielded the sword in the examination area. Of course, I doubt you have the discernment to notice."

He held his sword down and cocked his head arrogantly.

"Take the first move. I'll give you three steps back."

First move. And three steps back.

This was a courtesy not given to the previous candidates, right?

From his rude tone, it seemed he was forced to do this. I could feel that Lu had made all the necessary preparations to send me to Roque.

'Well, it also means my aura is perfectly concealed.'

Hmm, good.

I'll kill him in three moves.

I walked slowly towards the examiner, holding the sword in my right hand.

Facing the man with the circular bald spot, who had a look of 'What's your trick now?' on his face, I raised my sword and swung it from top to bottom.

It wasn't a particularly fast strike, so the examiner easily avoided it by stepping to the right. The moment his gaze of contempt reached me,

The sword energy from both sides of the blade exploded like a grenade.

Boom!

A careless opponent is the easiest to defeat.

The man with the circular bald spot, who had leaned to the side, spun in the air and retreated far back.

"Ugh."

Thud. A long red arc of blood splattered on the ground where he had stepped back.

It was blood from his left ear.

"Drop your sword. You have two moves left."

His hand, which had reflexively reached for the sword hilt, froze.

You're the first knight to give me three moves after I became a sword saint, circular bald spot.

Since it's a rare courtesy, I'll treat you with respect.

I walked back to the examiner.

His face, now red, showed no trace of the arrogance from before.

This time, I tried a simple thrust. Thinking the sword energy would explode again, the examiner immediately sidestepped.

Just as he was about to move away, I used the weight on my right foot to swing my left leg.

"Ugh!"

The stiffness in his abdomen from the knee strike was impressive, but it wasn't my concern. I punched his chin with my left hand while he was off balance.

The man with the circular bald spot, who had fallen to the ground, shook his head and gritted his teeth.

"Who… uses their fists in a duel…!"

"Sorry. I'm not very principled."

I switched the cheap sword to my left hand.

"And I'm actually left-handed."

After confirming the faint fear in the man's eyes,

"I'll do my best for the last move."

I thrust the sword with the fastest speed I could muster. The tip of the sword was aimed directly at the man's head.

The higher the level of a knight, the better they can judge their own limits.

The man with the circular bald spot was no exception.

Thinking it was too late to avoid it, he tried to minimize the damage by bending his upper body as far back as possible instead of counterattacking.

Just as the sword was about to pierce his pupils,

"Stop!"

At King Astrosa's command, the examination ended.

I looked at the eyelashes touching the tip of my cheap sword. The thick eyelashes, characteristic of a North Continent person, were trembling with fear.

"You really scared us! Miss Daisy Fager, did you intend to kill the examiner?"

The man with the circular bald spot, breathing heavily, bowed deeply and wiped his face.

I sheathed my sword and replied,

"Killing a civilian is a crime."

"Stop talking like a soldier. You almost killed the examiner!"

"It was just to scare him."

"Is it the empire's way to intimidate the weak with strength?"

"The examiner gave me the steps back. I was the weaker one. Is it a problem to do my best as the weaker one?"

Sigh. King Astrosa, taking a deep breath, looked at Baron Sereinye and then at Kallepa.

"I wondered what you were thinking, putting such a young woman through the Yete examination. …You're a monster, a monster."

"Does that mean I pass?"

While the other examiners were busy supporting the man with the circular bald spot, my question hung in the air.

I lifted the cheap sword onto my shoulder and asked again,

"Do I pass?"

The examiner, who had stiffened his shoulders, nodded.

"You pass…."

Yay!

Just as I was about to throw the cheap sword in joy, Dscherro approached me.

"You did well. You controlled yourself well at the end. Of course, considering your personality, there's a high probability that you intentionally mocked your opponent. But this is not the empire, it's the Kingdom of Astrosa. There's no need to draw attention…."

Dscherro, who was nagging, had a look that showed he was very pleased that my skills hadn't rusted.

"Your use of feet and fists was despicable, Senior. Thanks to you, I learned that hands and feet can be fully utilized for victory…."

I let Jin's rambling go in one ear and out the other.

Great, I'm finally entering Roque!

Feeling proud, I looked at Baron Sereinye, who smiled sweetly in return.